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© 2022 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ The aim of this paper is to present an experimental analysis of a solar module emulator based on a low-cost microcontroller. An Arduino low-cost microcontroller is used to mimic several solar module technologies with high accuracy. The estimation and extraction of the single- diode photovoltaic model parameters is performed by a developed software. Two control strategies are applied to the photovoltaic emulation, one based on the digital proportional integral controller and the second one based on fuzzy logic controller. The emulator is able to follow the module I-V curves for fast and simultaneous real-time change of solar radiation, cell temperature and load, based on an online resolution of the single-diode mathematical model of the photovoltaic module. Finally, the experimental and modeled I-V curves of four different photovoltaic module technologies are compared and assessed the efficiency of the proposed fuzzy logic control strategy compared to the proportional integral control strategy.

Resume: Les caracteristiques des modules solaires PV sont determinees dans les conditions normales d’essai (STC)avec une temperature ambiante de 25°C. Toutefois, dans les conditions de fonctionnement,la temperature normale d’operation de la cellule (NOCT) est generalement superieure de 20°C audessusde cette temperature ambiante. Ceci fait que dans les conditions reelles le module delivreune puissance inferieure a sa valeur nominale.Cette diminution est generalement de - 0,4% par °C au-dessus des conditions STC. Dans les climats chauds, les temperatures des cellules solaires sont encore plus elevees, reduisant ainsi plus significativement l’energie electrique de sortie des modules PV.----------Abstract: This research work develops the concept and a prototype of a novel Building-Integrated Photovoltaic-Thermal (BIPV-T) solar module (collector). The concept proposes water cooling individual solar cells in a module uniformly to improve performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules. A simulation study was conducted using TRNSYS software that shows upto 11% improvement over module without cooling and 4.3% improvement in performance if individual cells could be cooled uniformly. Based on the analysis of our simulation results, a novel concept of a cooling pipe layout (heat exchanger) is proposed. This will improve the performance over conventionally used series cooling of solar cells in BIPV-T modules. This will help to open a new design of photovoltaic technology based on the proposed BIPV-T module.

Mexico is currently emerging in the photovoltaic manufacturing market due to favorable geographical conditions like 5.5 hours of sun every day (5000W/m2) and a strategic commercial partner (USA) for exportation of photovoltaic products, therefore a gradual advance in the photovoltaic field as a source of clean energy generation in Mexico is inevitable, this causes a need to classify solar simulators located in photovoltaic manufacturing facilities across the whole country. The construction of a standard for the classification of large area solar simulators in non- uniformity irradiance (MMNU) was achieved, considering specifications of the international standards IEC90604-9 and IEC90604-2. The procedure for using this MMNU substantially improves the classification time of a large area solar simulation and its versatility of use in an industrial environment, resulting in suitable on-site measurements. The MMNU is composed of six electronic reading circuits and 36 cells which are connected individually, it can generate an irradiance map up to 72 regions and the measurement uncertainty within the operating temperature conditions of 29 C to 31 C was 1.1 % using the mathematical expression for non-uniformity in the standard IEC90604-9. Various strategies have been outlined to reduce the measurement uncertainty of the entire system, like reducing its thermal drift during measurement and improving the measurement uncertainty in electrical voltage by creating a new electronic reading module that would include a more robust microcontroller and A/D converter with higher resolution.

Having a photovoltaic (PV) system raises the question of whether it runs as expected.Measuring its energy yield takes a long time and the result still contains uncertainties from varyingweather conditions and possible shading of the modules. Here, a free software PVcheck to measurethe peak power of the system is announced, using the power data of a single sunny day. The softwareloads a data file of the generated power as a function of time from this day. This data file is providedby typical inverters. The software then simulates this power curve using known parameters like angleand location of the PV system. The assumed peak power of the simulation can then be adjusted sothat the simulated curve matches the measured one. The software runs under Microsoft Windows™and makes use of the free library pvlib python. The simulation can be refined by importing weatherdata like temperature, wind speed, and insolation. Furthermore, curves describing the nominalmodule efficiency as a function of the illumination intensity as well as the power-dependent inverterefficiency can be included in the simulation. First results reveal a good agreement of the simulationwith experimental data. The software can be used to detect strong problems in PV systems afterinstallation and to monitor their long-time operation. Solar Värmland

In the photovoltaic industry, there is great interest in increasing the power output of solar cells to achieve grid parity and to promote the widespread use of solar cells. However, despite many developments, a phenomenon called light-induced degradation causes the efficiency of solar cells to deteriorate over time. This study proposes a treatment that can be applied to cells within solar modules. It uses a half-bridge resonance circuit to induce a magnetic field and selectively heat Al electrodes in the solar cells. The electrical state of a solar module was measured in real time as it was being heated, and the results were combined with a kinetics simulation using a cyclic reaction. As the temperature of the solar module increased, the time taken to reach the saturation point and the recovery time decreased. Moreover, the value of the saturation point increased. The light-induced degradation activation energy was similar to results in the existing literature, suggesting that the kinetic model was valid and applicable even when 72 cells were connected in series. This demonstrates that an entire solar module can be treated when the cells are connected in series, and in future multiple modules, could be connected in series during treatment.

Nowadays, a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) attracts attention to its development widely due to its several advantages, such as simple processes, low costs, and flexibility. In this work, we demonstrate the difference in device structures between small size and large size cells (5 cm × 5 cm, 10 cm × 10 cm and 10 cm × 15 cm). The design of the photoanode and dye-sensitized process plays important roles in affecting the cell efficiency and stability. The effects of the TiO2 electrode, using TiCl4(aq) pretreatment and post-treatment processes, are also discussed, whereas, the open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current density (Jsc), and module efficiency are successfully improved. Furthermore, the effects on module performances by some factors, such as dye solution concentration, dye soaking temperature, and electrolyte injection method are also investigated. We have demonstrated that the output power of a 5 cm × 5 cm DSSC module increases from 86.2 mW to 93.7 mW, and the module efficiency achieves an outstanding performance of 9.79%. Furthermore, enlarging the DSSC modules to two sizes (10 cm × 10 cm and 10 cm × 15 cm) and comparing the performance with different module designs (C-DSSC and S-DSSC) also provides the specific application of polymer sealing and preparing high-efficiency large-area DSSC modules.

The Alaska North Slope is a pristine and fragile arctic environment that needs protection. The present article illustrates the application of isotropic and anisotropic models for predicting solar radiation on photovoltaic (PV) modules (and, hence, potential electricity output) for different angles of inclination (or tilt) in Utqiagvik Alaska. The anisotropic model is shown to provide higher, albeit more accurate, predictions of solar radiation since it includes all of the measures used in the isotropic model, but provides a more comprehensive representation of the diffuse component. Specifically, the anisotropic model includes not only the isotropic part of diffuse radiation, but also the circumsolar and horizon brightening parts. A PV array angle of tilt of 55 degrees is shown to provide the greatest total amount of incident solar radiation for the entire year, based on both the isotropic and anisotropic models. However, both models also indicate that angles of tilt that are steeper than 55 degrees result in slightly greater amounts of incident solar radiation during the late-winter, early-spring, and mid-fall months; while angles of tilt that are flatter than 55 degrees result in slightly greater amounts of incident solar radiation during the summer and early-fall months. It is shown that a PV system with a moderately sized array, tilted at the fixed angle of 55 degrees, could provide more than 50 percent of the total annual electricity needs for homes in Utqiagvik Alaska.

The proposed research work presents the performance analysis of the vertically mounted bifacial module (VBFM) with and without tracking during the summer and winter seasons. Also, various parameters like energy efficiency, electrical efficiency, electrical exergy, thermal exergy, exergy efficiency, environmental analysis, economic analysis, exergoeconomic analysis, enviroeconomic analysis, and exergoenviroeconomic analysis of the VBFM were studied and presented. The comparative analysis was carried out between two bifacial solar modules installed in two different orientations (east–west and south-north). The experiments were conducted in the real climatic condition of Minjur, Tamil Nadu, India. Under the summer and winter climatic conditions, when the lifetime period of 10, 15, and 20 years are considered higher energy production factor and higher life cycle conversion efficiency was obtained from the vertically mounted bifacial module—east–west (VBFM-EW) with tracking during summer and vertically mounted bifacial module—north–south (VBFM-SN) module without tracking during the winter season. Exergetic cost was calculated by considering 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of the system with 2%, 5%, and 10% interest rates. The maximum exergetic cost was obtained from 30 years of the system under a 2% interest rate. The enviroeconomic and exergoenviroeconomic analysis provides the carbon credits earned from the E-W module was a maximum of Rs 11,036.18 during the summer season and Rs 12,413.48 from the VBFM-SN module during the winter season, considering the life of the system as 15 years.

Highlights Recent progress of efficiency and long-term stability for perovskite solar cells, and the development of perovskite-based tandem solar cells are described. The progress of lead-free perovskite solar cells and their potential for industrial production are discussed in detail. The current status, ongoing challenges, and the future outlooks of perovskite solar cells are highlighted., Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) emerging as a promising photovoltaic technology with high efficiency and low manufacturing cost have attracted the attention from all over the world. Both the efficiency and stability of PSCs have increased steadily in recent years, and the research on reducing lead leakage and developing eco-friendly lead-free perovskites pushes forward the commercialization of PSCs step by step. This review summarizes the main progress of PSCs in 2020 and 2021 from the aspects of efficiency, stability, perovskite-based tandem devices, and lead-free PSCs. Moreover, a brief discussion on the development of PSC modules and its challenges toward practical application is provided.

In this paper, the bifaciality factor and ideality factor of PERC bifacial solar module are investigated under different irradiances. By measuring the electrical performance under different irradiances, it is found that the bifaciality factor of PERC bifacial solar module increases when the irradiance increases. Meanwhile, the ideality factor of PERC bifacial solar module under different irradiances is obtained according to the single-diode model. It is found that the ideality factor of PERC bifacial solar module increases as irradiance intensity increases under the same temperature. The results are beneficial to understand the performance of PERC bifacial solar module in the field.

It is studied that a 100 MW PV plant having an issue with an unusual high amount of burned junction boxes (JB), more specifically, diodes. The junction box failures should be viewed critically as they cause a high risk of fire hazard besides making the solar plant under perform. In this paper, we present our detailed investigation that goes on to prove that these JB failures are due to manufacturing defect of the diodes. Our study reveals that partial shading due to vegetation or soiling that trigger the bypass diodes. Reliable ones perform to protect, weak ones fail and cause damage. This investigation is, particularly, important to confirm manufacturing defects to flag warranty claims. As it is not easy to get the warranty replacements from solar module manufacturers, a systematic investigation is carried out to prove that the JB failures are not due to the irregularities in the plant but solely due to the manufacturing defects.

In this work we introduce a combination of spectral, imaging and electric lab and field tests that complement field I-V and power measurements and allow to track the insulation failures of the solar modules and associate various failure modes with different types of the module backsheets.

Potential-induced degradation is a disastrous failure mode of crystalline silicon solar module. This phenomenon can be reflected by deterioration of ideality factor. In this paper, ideality factor of PID-free and PID-affected silicon solar module were investigated under different irradiances. It is found that the ideality factor of PID-affected solar module is larger than that of PID-free solar module at the same irradiance. The obtained result indicates that the ideality factor of PID-affected solar module is more sensitive than that of PID-free solar module when injection level increase from 700 w/m2 to 1200 w/m2.

The working temperature of solar module has a significant effect on the performance. In this paper, the effect of temperature on ideality factor for PERC monofacial solar module was investigated based on single-diode equivalent circuit modelling. It is found that the ideality factor of PERC monofacial solar module decreases with the increasing temperature under different irradiances. The non-ideal behaviour can be reflected in deviation of the ideality factor from unity and its temperature dependence.

The research studies the effects of some weather parameters for Baghdad city on the output of the solar module of the type monocrystalline. The experimental part measures the electrical parameters of the photo-voltaic (PV) module for three levels of radiation rate 500, 750, and 1000 W/m2 . The theoretical part includes the modeled and simulation of the PV panel, via the proposed mathematical single–diode model (SDM, 5 parameters), and Matlabsimulation. The Newton Raphson method was applied to find the output current of the solar panel and the plotting P-V, I-V curves. The work involves preparing a simple mathematical model to estimate the optimal ambient conditions to give the highest output of the solar module. The validation of the model was verified by the practical testing of the cell for 6 months. The best results were obtained at standard testing conditions (25℃, 1000 W/m2 ). The output power calculated by the mathematical model was 30.1 W while from experimental work was 30.45 W. The relative error is 1.15%. The converge between experimental and modeling results for the same conditions is about 98.9% that proves the validity of the proposed model and the possibility of using it for all types of photovoltaic.

Soiling of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules by dust accumulation can cause significant loss in electricity production. Electrodynamic dust shield (EDS) is a potential anti-dust solution that can be used to repel dust from a PV module surface, but so far there have been few studies of EDS performance in the field. In this study, we fabricated prototype PV modules with integrated EDS electrodes, and carried out field tests of the EDS function. Each prototype was made by fabricating EDS electrodes on the front glass of a base module and insulating the electrodes with a polymer dielectric cover. Three units, comprising two EDS-integrated PV modules and one reference PV module without the EDS electrodes, were tested in a solar test facility at Doha, Qatar for six months. The soiling loss of each solar module was quantified by comparing the module’s temperature-corrected performance ratio to that of the clean module. The EDS efficiency was in turn assessed by comparing the soiling loss of the EDS-PV module with EDS activation to that of the EDS-PV module without activation. When activated hourly at 9 kVpp, EDS could reduce soiling loss by 16–33%, while at 6 kVpp activation voltage EDS had no observable soiling mitigation effect. Further research with larger sample sizes and longer testing time is needed to better understand the soiling mitigation capability of EDS in field conditions.

Dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) is an emerging type of solar cells in photovoltaic (PV) technology that are desirable because of their flexibility, easy fabrication, and has benign environmental impacts. The environmental performance of DSSC can be investigated by life-cycle assessment (LCA) to further develop this technology in a sustainable manner. This study aimed to evaluate and quantify the LCA of window-integrated PV systems using DSSC module in Malaysia. Typical indicators of solar PV such as cumulative energy demand (CED), energy payback time (EPBT), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rate from cradle-to-gate were assessed with SimaPro. Several environmental impacts were also observed through the Recipe Midpoint (H) method. Results showed that the CED produced throughout the DSSC life cycle was 18.75 GJ/kWh, EPBT of 2.42 years and GHG emission rate of 70.52 gCO2-eq/kWh. Moreover, extensive electricity consumption during module fabrication and panel manufacturing processes using Malaysia’s energy mix, as well as the use of glass substrates, silver and inverter, were some of the factors that have been identified in this research that affected CED, EPBT, GHG emission rate and a number of environmental impacts including metal depletion, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, freshwater eutrophication, human toxicity and fossil depletion.

The performance of a 20 Watts polycrystalline silicon solar module was evaluated under Yola climatic condition. It was found that the values of short circuit current (Isc), open circuit voltage (Voc), maximum current (Imax) and maximum voltage (Vmax) of the solar module were slightly different from those labeled under Standard Test Condition (STC).This was due to lower solar irradiance under Yola climate compared to that at STC, which resulted to changes in power and efficiency of the module. The power rating of the module at STC was 20 Watts but it was found to be 12.49 Watts between 12:00 noon and 12.15 pm when the solar irradiance was 780 Wm-2. In addition, the efficiency of the module, which was 15 % at STC, was found to be 12 % at maximum irradiance of 780 Wm-2. The Fill-factor (FF) of the solar module on the other hand was 0.71 at STC but it was found to be 0.77 at solar irradiance of 780 Wm-2.

This paper investigates the outdoor performance of a 20 W monocrystalline silicon solar module in relation to air mass (AM) in Kakamega. Direct measurement of air mass and module output parameters from experimental setup was done in Kakamega at a location 0.28270 N and 34.7519 E. Experimental results showed a decrease in ISC and VOC with increasing AM. The maximum output power produced by the module reduced with an increase in AM. Maximum power was therefore seen to be produced at noon in this region. VOC increased from 19.47 to 20.04 then decreased to 19.49 V while ISC increased from 0.36 to 1.19 then decreased to 0.48A. It was observed that both the FF and of a monocrystalline solar module increase with increase in air mass. The module performed better during the afternoon than morning and evening hours with the peak performance observed close to AM 1.

The optimal p-n junction structure in a state-of-the-art Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 thin-film solar module technology is investigated. For co-optimization design and path-finding, a TCAD model is developed with experimental samples. The engineerable parameters, i.e., FGa, GGIavg, and CdS thickness, are demonstrated to play a critical role in determining the p-n junction properties such as dark current characteristics Jdark(V), voltage-dependent photocurrent, localized carrier collection efficiency, and interface carrier transportation. We show the optimal Ga-grading is determined by a trade-off between the recombination loss in space charge region and the photo-carrier collection in quasi-neutral region. The optimal CdS thickness is determined by a trade-off between carrier collection efficiency, short-circuit current (JSC) loss, and Jdark(V), which depends on varied Ga-profiles. Overall, thin CdS (≦10 nm) is preferred to reduce the JSC loss in accumulated Ga-profiles, while thicker CdS is preferred to enhance the carrier collection efficiency in flatter Ga-profiles. The band alignment effect on varied Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2/CdS junctions is also investigated. It is found sulfur-incorporation can suppress the VOC saturation behavior at wide bandgap. For CIGSeS absorber with SS = 20% and DP =15%, the maximum VOC of 780 mV can be achieved by co-optimized Ga-profile. Furthermore, varied Ga-profiles and CdS buffer layers are explored for pathfinding. An optimal p-n junction structure shows a relative +40% efficiency improvement from 15.5% to 21.9%. This work shows the efficiency headroom of reported CIGSeS thin-film solar module technology through co-optimized CIGSeS composition gradient and buffer layer.

We present a microscopic characterization of an organic photovoltaic (OPV) module demonstrator, fabricated within the “freeOPV” project. The local properties of the module are discussed on different length scales, from the submicrometric to the centimeters one, inferring the module structure and the origin of the different contributions to the optical and photoelectrical spatial inhomogeneity. We show that the local external quantum efficiency (EQE) in the individual cells of the module exhibits typical variations within 6–8% of the peak value over about 0.4 mm2. Larger variations are observed when comparing different cells across the module surface, with differences in the EQE peak values up to 1.6 times. Our results suggest that the roll-to-roll OPV module performance can be further improved by optimizing the printing uniformity as well as the charge extraction efficiency of electrodes.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising candidates for power sources to sustainably drive next-generation wearable electronics, following the advances in PSCs and future desires of harvesting and storing energy integration. However, the natural brittle property of crystals for elastic deformation restricts the mechanical robustness, which definitely results in degraded efficiency. In fact, the crystalline quality and “cask effect” impact large-area reproducibility of PSCs. Inspired by the highly crystalline and tough nacre, herein, we report biomimetic crystallization to grow high-quality perovskite films with an elastic “brick-and-mortar” structure. The antithetic solubility of the composite matrix facilitates perpendicular micro-parallel crystallization and affords stretchability to resolve the “cask effect” of flexible PSCs. We successfully fabricate PSC chips (1 cm2 area) with average efficiencies of 19.59% and 15.01% on glass and stretchable substrates, respectively. Importantly, a recorded 56.02 cm2 area wearable solar-power source with 7.91% certified conversion efficiency is achieved. This skin fitting power source shows bendability, stretchability and twistability and is practically assembled in wearable electronics.

Orientadores: Ana Flávia Nogueira, Victor Pellegrini Mammana Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química Resumo: A tecnologia de serigrafia foi utilizada para a fabricação de módulos de células solares sensibilizadas com corante (DSSC do inglês dye-sensitized solar cell) com área de 5 x 5 cm. A alta resistência em série associada ao substrato de óxido transparente condutor é uma das causas da baixa eficiência de módulos DSSC. Aqui apresentamos um módulo de célula solar utilizando um eletrólito polimérico gel e um simples método de reduzir a perda por resistência do substrato condutor: grids de prata, protegida por frita vítrea, em razão de melhorar a coleta de cargas. Foram utilizados os eletrólitos poliméricos gel, pois estes possuem as vantagens de serem menos voláteis que os eletrólitos líquidos, são fáceis de serem manipulados e possuem alta condutividade iônica. Valores de eficiência máxima de 2,89% foram alcançados com um fator de preenchimento de 0,48. É importante enfatizar que uma relevante contribuição deste trabalho está relacionada com processos de selagem e preenchimento, utilizados em tecnologias de displays de LCD adaptadas para a fabricação de DSSC Abstract: The screen printing technology was used for the manufacture of solar cell modules sensitized with a dye (DSSC - Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell) with an area of 5 x 5 cm. The high series resistance associated with the transparent conductive oxide substrate is one of the causes for the low efficiency of DSSC modules. Here we present a solar cell module using a polymer electrolyte [1] and a simple method of reducing the loss resistance of the conductive substrate: grids of silver, protected by glass frit, due to improved charge collection. We used a gel-polymer electrolyte, because of its advantage of being less volatile than liquid electrolytes, easy to be manipulated and high ionic conductivity. The maximum efficiency of 2,89% was achieved with a fill factor of 0.48. It is important to emphasize that an important contribution in this work is yhe to sealing and filling processes, used in LCD display Technologies suitable for the manufacture of DSSC Mestrado Química Inorgânica Mestre em Química CNPQ 300607/2011-3